A laptop from the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation in Florida was stolen from a government vehicle on July 27, according to a letter sent to members of Florida's congressional delegation by Todd Zinser, the acting Inspector General of the Florida DOT. According to the Office of the Inspector General, the laptop was not encrypted at the time of the theft.  The theft was not reported until July 31.

The letter said that the laptop contained personal information of 42,792 Floridians with airmen's licenses and 80,667 Floridians with commercial driver's licenses. The laptop also contained driver's license information for residents who obtained their licenses at the Largo exam facility before July 2005.

Law enforcement officials have set up a toll free hotline and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the laptop. 

But if the laptop is not recovered, many Floridians will remain at risk to potential identity theft. David Barnes, a spokesperson for the OIG said, "We'll work this for a period of time and at some point decide what next steps to take.  One step at a time."

According to Zinser's letter, the information was in the possession of a special agent and was being stored on the laptop "in connection with a multi-agency investigation focusing on fraudulent information used to obtain CDL's or airmen certificates," and "as part of an ongoing investigation involving fraud at the [Largo] licensing facility."

The Office of the Inspector General directed all employees to remove personally identifiable information from laptops.

Barnes said that the laptop was in the vehicle because it is common practice for OIG staff to work while on the road.